A research center dedicated to countering the ideology of extremists who misuse religion for their own agenda.
Joined July 2018
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🔈New research
Iran’s 1979 revolution is often read solely through Shiite clerical doctrine. This paper argues its ideological architecture was also shaped by mainstream Islamism via transnational networks, Maududi and Qutb translations, and institutional exchange — producing a hybrid system.
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sawabcenter.org/cross-sectar…
📰 Extremist violence in Asia-Pacific is geographically contained but persistent, with chief victims being Pakistan, Afghanistan &Philippines. Terrorism was up 8% in first 9 months of 2026. Pakistan faces intensifying Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) attacks along its Afghan border, while Daesh Khorasan Province’s capacity is slowly dwindling. However, wider risks remain in other regions.
acleddata.com/report/jihadis…
📫 The Counter-terror Dispatch | Top stories this week:
mailchi.mp/sawabcenter.org/w…
‣ Somalia faces challenges as foreign troops leave, UN support runs out, with Al Shabaab far from defeated
‣ EU renews sanctions against individuals linked to Daesh, Al Qaeda; imposes travel bans, asset freezes
‣ Guantanamo jury selection opens in USS Cole bombing case, first death penalty trial in military commissions
📰 Islamism is contested among researchers & policymakers. Some see it as enduring, whether it dissolves, transforms or declines gradually, while others predict its inevitable demise after recent blows. Recent scholarship also suggests Muslim Brotherhood, though greatly weakened, is evolving into a broader ideological current & remains a threat.
trendsgroup.org/publication/…
📰 Somalia faces growing security & governance pressures as international forces withdraw, funding declines & political divisions deepen. As per analysis in Africa Defense Forum, Somali National Army remains ill-equipped to replace departing foreign troops & sustain operations against Al Shabaab. Cuts to logistical support could risk creating security vacuums that extremists could exploit.
adf-magazine.com/2026/11/som…
📰 Jury selection has begun at Guantánamo Bay for Abd Al Rahim Al Nashiri, 61, accused of orchestrating 2000 USS Cole bombing that killed 17 US sailors. He is first prisoner to face a death penalty trial there. Prosecutors cannot use his Guantánamo interrogations because they were said to be tainted by his earlier treatment in custody.
nytimes.com/2026/11/02/us/po…
On The UAE Flag Day 🇦🇪, we honor the national banner — a symbol of unity & progress for the UAE & the pride its people share in this country.
📰 Somalia’s security handover is being tested by closure of UN political mission on October 31, with Uganda starting withdrawal of troops. Analysts warn transferring responsibility without adequate financing, logistics & political coordination risks losing hard-won gains.
peopledaily.digital/insights…
📰 JNIM & Tuareg rebels in Mali are combining battlefield attacks with use of AI for online propaganda. Extremist supporters are employing AI-generated "fighters" to attack opponents’ credibility, while JNIM has begun producing AI posters. Drone footage gives both material to publicize attacks & attract recruits. AI could help spread these messages across Sahelian languages.
accord.org.za/analysis/algor…
📫 The Counter-terror Dispatch | Top stories this week:
mailchi.mp/sawabcenter.org/w…
‣ Jordan strikes Daesh targets in Syria after church attack as neighbours seek closer counter-terror cooperation
‣ Cheap drones are eroding African governments’ airpower advantage as armed groups expand their reach
‣ Al Shabaab ambush kills 20 Somali soldiers, surviving officer says, as others remain missing
📰 Cheap commercial drones are eroding governments’ airpower edge in some parts of Africa. Armed non-state actors are rapidly modifying small unmanned systems for attacks, while state militaries rely on imported long-endurance platforms & lack counter-drone defenses. What might be needed is a doctrine combining layered counter-drone defenses, curbs on illicit drone supply chains & integrating small drones into forces built for irregular warfare.
africacenter.org/publication…
📰 Jordan said its forces killed 20 alleged Daesh members in strikes on Syria on Monday, in retaliation for deadly church attack in Jordan. Syrian authorities reported 7 civilian deaths, including three children & a woman. Amman said it regretted civilian losses.
thenationalnews.com/news/men…
📰 Al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab ambushed Somali government forces near Leego in southern Somalia, claiming to have killed 321 troops and seized military equipment. The unverified claims come amid a power struggle between the federal government and rival forces in Southwest State, which has complicated counterterrorism operations along the strategic Mogadishu–Baidoa corridor. newindianexpress.com/world/2…
📰 The UAE strongly condemned the terrorist shooting at Hamoud Church in Jordan’s Karak Governorate, which left several people dead and injured. The Foreign Ministry reiterated its rejection of terrorism and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
mofa.gov.ae/en/MediaHub/News…
📰 Daesh Mozambique (ISM) is escalating civilian attacks across Cabo Delgado, with 19 cases reported in recent weeks, using displacement, ransom & retribution. A $53,000 ransom for 3 hostages in Niassa may encourage further kidnappings of foreigners. Tightened security around Mocímboa da Praia is straining commerce & aid deliveries, raising risks of local unrest.
acleddata.com/update/mozambi…
📫 The Counter-terror Dispatch | Top stories this week:
mailchi.mp/sawabcenter.org/w…
‣ Sahel’s rival terrorist groups clash on unprecedented scale across Burkina Faso-Mali-Niger border triangle
‣ UK teen jailed for giving Al Qaeda, TTP cyber-security help, in sign of growing online radicalization
‣ Canadian man jailed in US given 50 more years after stabbing prison guards in name of Daesh
📰 UK national Yusuf Shah, arrested at Heathrow airport aged 16, has been jailed for 4 years & 2 months for lending cyber-security expertise to terrorist groups including Al Qaeda & Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. Drawn into extremist material at 13 or 14, he downloaded weapons & explosives manuals, advised a Telegram group on untraceable cryptocurrency donations & wrote a cybersecurity guide. Case highlights once again disturning trend of online youth radicalization.
bbc.com/news/articles/c3dxwq…
📰 Daesh Sahel Province (ISSP) allegedly killed 48 people in Menaka in Mali, apparently retaliating for campaign by pro-government paramilitaries against suspected informants. Homes were burned & livestock stolen. Killings also come at a time when there is increased warfare between extremists from Daesh & JNIM.
internazionale.it/ultime-not…
📰 Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, a 28-year-old Canadian already serving 40 years for plotting a Daesh-inspired mass-casualty attack in New York, received a further 50 years for a 2020 attack on 2 correctional officers at US Penitentiary Allenwood, which they survived. The sentences run consecutively. US officials said the ruling shows Daesh-inspired terrorism will be prosecuted even from behind prison walls.
justice.gov/opa/pr/isis-insp…
📰 Rival extremists in the Sahel are fighting each other at unprecedented scale across the Burkina Faso-Mali-Niger borderlands. Daesh Sahel Province (ISSP) claims it killed over 400 Al Qaeda-linked JNIM terrorists in Oudalan, which would be the deadliest battle between them. UN experts call it the world’s most intense Al Qaeda-Daesh confrontation. Competition for routes & for control over populations is being seen as a reason driving the expansion.
africanews.com/2026/10/16/ri…
📰 Though Daesh has not demonstrated a sustained capability for sophisticated offensive cyber operations, despite retaining access to technically skilled supporters, analysts say counter-terrorism agencies should monitor recruitment, emerging cyber collectives & ideological shifts toward cyber warfare. Daesh's cyber activity has historically focused on propaganda, intimidation, website defacements & data exposure rather than destructive attacks. But AI & cybercrime-as-a-service could lower technical barriers.
gnet-research.org/2026/10/15…
